Joseph morningstar



R m HE 0 NT TLA NU H OR MDv l N0. 445,569. Patented Feb. 3,1891.

L d/, fr n- -tion.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH MORNINGSTAR, OF NElV YORK, N. Y.

DRlP-CATCHER.

SFECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 445,569, dated February3, 1891.

Application filed July 2, 1890. Shrial No. 357,537. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J osEPH MORNINGSTAR,

a citizen of the United States, residing in the city and county of NewYork, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement inDrip-Catchers to be Fitted on Bottles, of which the following is aspecification.

The improvement may be used with advantage on bottles for many or alluses. I intend it more particularly for bottles of wine, sauces, sirups,&c., to sit on a table with articles of food. It is capable of beingmade highly neat and attractive in appearance and maintaining the bodyof the bottle and the table-cloth in an absolutely clean and brightcondition. The soft parts of rubber or analogous material are on theinterior. The exterior may be bright metal. Itis easily applied andremoved.

The device is composed of three screwthreaded rings, which constitutethe exterior, and two washers, of india-rubber or analogous material,held a considerable distance apart in the interior. The upper ring iscontracted and internally lipped at the top, but the opening must besufficient to allow the device to slip down over the enlarged headformed on ordinary bottles.

My drip-catcher is applied by slipping it over the head of the bottleand forcing it down until the soft washers form a tight contact with theneck of the bottle.

The accompanying drawings form a part of this specification.

Figure 1 is an elevation showing my dripcatcher in position upon theneck of abottle. Fig. 2 is a corresponding vertical section of thedevice, the bottle being shown in eleva- Fig. 3 is a similar sectionwith the bottle nearly inverted, the drip being still retained by mydrip-catcher.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts in all the figureswhere they appear.

Referring to the drawings and the letters of reference thereon, A is thelowermost ring, screw-threaded on its interior and provided with aninternal lip A at its lower edge.

B is the middle ring, and O is the upper ring, screw-threaded on itsinterior, provided with an internal lip O and with an extension 0?reaching upward and contracted, as shown, at the top and provided withinternal lip 0 extending downward a little clear of contact with theneck of the bottle.

The ringB is screw-threaded on its exterior near its upper and loweredges, adapted to match the screw-threads 011 the parts A and C,respectively.

All the rings A, B, and O are of white metal or other hard material.

D D are washers of soft vulcanized rubber, fitted the one below thebottom of the ring B and the other above the top of such ring. Each isfirmly held by the pressure of the adjacent lip, the lower washer Dbeing compressed by the lip A and the upper washer D being compressed bythe lip O.

M is the tapering neck of the bottle, and M an enlarged head thereon.

To apply my device it is necessary to thrust it down over the head ofthe bottle until its soft washers D 1) fit tightly around the taperingneck M. The lowermost will ordinarily fit the bottle the tightest.Theuppermost need not fit with absolute tightness, but it forms a secondbearing sufliciently above the other to hold the device properly inposition.

Any drip which tends to run down the loottie-neck is received in thisdevice and retained. The bottle may be nearly or quite inverted andstill the internal lip C will retain the small quantity of drip likelyto run down from any ordinary number of pourings.

\Vhen the bottle is empty, my device is easily slipped off, rinsed, andis ready for use on another bottle.

The rings A, B, and C may be smooth and burni hed or variouslydecorated.

I propose for ordinary cases to use soft metal plated with silver.

Modifications may be made without departing from the principle orsacrificing the advantages of the invention. The washers D D may varyconsiderably in thickness and in rigidity.

I claim as my invention- The drip-catcher described, having an exterioror shell A B O, of hard material, in combination with washers D D ofelastic material, as rubber, mounted in the interior and arranged toserve on a bottle-neck, substantially as herein specified.

In testimony that I claim the invention rco above set forth I affix mysignature in presence of two witnesses.

J OSEPH' MORNINGSTAR. Witnesses:

WILLIAM H. SMITH, E. W'EIDENLAD.

